Philadelphia 76er Joel Embiid suffered a concussion and orbital bone fracture during a game in March against the New York Knicks. While he was determined to get back to regular activity as soon as he cleared the concussion protocol, Embiid has been sorely missing from the first two games of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the Sixers seem to be keeping him safe from any further potential injury. After the Miami Heat evened their series against the Sixers on Monday night, Embiid vented his frustrations on Instagram. “Fucking sick and tired of being babied,” his IG story read. Today, he clarified those statements.

According to Uproxx, Embiid got to ring the bell for his team on the court before Game 1, but his inability to participate in the games has led to him publicly voicing his anger—especially after he had to watch Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat beat his team with a 113-103 victory.

Embiid reportedly clarified his social media post to ESPN this morning, telling Ramona Shelburne he was incredibly eager to get back on the floor to give his city and the people what they want. In his mind, he made a promise, which he can’t keep if the Sixers don’t let him participate.

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Joel Embiid to ESPN on the frustration behind his IG post from earlier, “I promised the city the playoffs and I’m not on the court and I may not be on Thursday either. I wish more than anything that I was out there. I just want the green light to play.”

Obviously, posting your thoughts on social media in the heat of a moment rooted in anger, frustration, or any other visceral emotion, is rarely the right move. On the other hand, the statement given to ESPN really clarifies his point of view and motivation to publicly denounce his team’s decisions. This could potentially lead to the team reconsidering its strategy. Embiid wants to play for genuinely positive reasons. While the Sixers are clearly looking out for him—and protecting him from possible further injury, which could result in him being benched for even longer—Embiid is focused on the upside of him being cleared. In his mind, he could’ve possibly prevented the Heat’s victory, and could lead Philadelphia to ultimate glory.

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